Terminal for conductors



March'26, 1929. RQBERTS 1,706,412

TERMINAL FOR ICONYDUCTORS Filed Feb. 29, 1924 "Patented Mar. 26 p 1929.

' UNITED STATES 1 ,70t,41z PATENT oFFicE.

I CLIFFORDA. ROBERTS, ..OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T PITTSBURGH TRANSFORMER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TERMINAL FOR CONDUCTOBS.

Application filed February 29, 1924. Serial No. 695,903.

to a terminal board or the like.

The object of the invention is to-provide a terminal having simple, inexpensive and dulrab le connection between the wire and the end portion.

A further object of the invention is to provide a double connection between the wire and the end portion, one point of connection formed chiefly to carry the current and the other point of connection cooperating there- 5' with to carry the mechanical strains and protect the current carrying connection from weakening.

lln the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention Figs. 1 and 2 are elevational views illustrating the formation of a terminal.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a complete terminal, and I Fig. 4; is alvertical sectional view'of the I as terminal shown in Fig. 3.

In the terminals of conductors, and particularly those of large size, as used in electrical transformers, it is highly important to provide and maintain a strong connection between the conductor'leads and the point of connection to the terminal board or other support. In transformer leads, for instance, the wires are carried upward from the coils below and suspended at their ends from the support above, and in case any .of these leads become loose due to the vibration of the transformer" in service or, accidental displacement during the adjustment of other leads, or connections, the loosened ends are likely to come in short circuiting contact in a most dangerous manner ;or any excessive resistance developed by faulty electrical contact between the wire and its terminal will cause the loss ofvoltage and develop an objectionable heating at the faulty connection. The terminal of this invention overcomes these objections and provides a permanently secure and reliable electrical and mechanical union between the wire and its terminal without danger of failure in service.

minal adapted to be connected to a terminal board or the like. This strip 5 has a hole 6 punched from it and is-thenbent at the hole 6 as shown in Fig. 2 so that the ends of the wires? may be passed through the hole 6 and along the front surface of the strip 5. The bent-end 8 of the strip 5 is then pressed over into clamping engagement with the wires 7 so that these wires are tightly gripped between-the strip 5 and its end8 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4:. The side edges 9-of the end 8 are preferably bent down close to the strip 5 on each side of the wires 7. These wires 7 as shown are preferably rectangular in section so as to provide 'flat faces for engagement between the surfaces of the strip 5 which thus retain the ends of the wires secure against twisting.

The ends of the wires 7 project above the bent end 8 of the strip and lie along in close contact with the face of the strip 5 and are preferably fastened in place to said strip by soldering, welding or brazing as indicated at 10 to give a Very intimate electrical connection between the wires 7 and the strip 5. The brazing or welding at 10 is also mechanically strong against thrusts or pulls in the direc- 4 tion of the wires and rigidly and securely holds the wires 7 against lengthwise movement in either direction. At the same time strip 5 and prevents these wires from being shifted sidewise or bent outward so as to tear or rip ofi' the brazed connection at 10. A double electrical-mechanical connection is thus provided between the wires 7 and the strip 5,

each connection cooperating withthe other to maintain a union with thorough electrical contact and mechanically strong and secure against weakening in service. i

The strip 5 maybe shaped or bent or twisted in any desired manner to fit the member to which it is to be attached. By providing the bolt hole 16 and bending the strip at 17 between the opening and the connection to the wires 7 the strip is adapted to hang from a horizontal support with the wires 7 extending downward as shown in Fig. 4 where a terminal board 20 of a transformer carries the bolt 21 passing through the opening 16 of the terminal strip 5. Any desired angle may be given to the bend 17 to position'the wire 7 as required, and the terminal is particularly advantageous in connection with the leads of transformers and the like where the wires have to be brought up to the board in-various directions and supported therefrom secure against entanglement with each other and held tightly against loosening from their respective terminal connections.

The ends strips 5 may be fastened to the wires by machinery as a standard form of terminal. Or where, as in the case of large transformers, the terminal leads '2' are carried upward and cut to length, the ends 5 may be separately supplied (as in Fig. 2 for instance) to be attachel to the ends of the lead wires by the workman on the job. In either case the connecting of the wires and the end strip is a simple operation resulting in a very strong andvdurable connection and giving an inti-' mate electrical contact between the end strip and the wire leads.

I claim 1. An electrical conductor terminal comprising a strip portion having an aperture, a

conductor wlre extending through said aperture, means for effecting an intimate electrical union between the conductor and the strip portion a substantial distance from said aperture, and means for preventing lateral movement of said conductor relative to said strip comprising the end portion of said strip extending in a reverse direction so as to overlie and hold the conductor in position, said apeItture'being so formed that the portion of the conductor extending through the aperture will have substantialI j a normal configuration and substantiaily free from local stresses.

An electrical conductor terminal comprising a strip portion having an aperture, a conductor wire extending through said aperture, means for efi'ecting an intimate electrical union between the conductor and the strip portion a substantial distance from said aperture, and means for preventing lateral movement of said conductor relative to said strip comprising the end portion of said strip extending in a reverse direction so'as to overlie and hold the .conductor in position, the relative configuration of said aperture and conductor being adapted to permit the conductor to extend through said aperture and retain its normal condition and be substantially free from-cutting action by, and local stresses adjacent, the edges ofsaid aperture.

3. An electrical conductor terminal comprising a strip portion having an aperture, a conductor extends through said aperture, means for forming an intimate electrical union between said conductor and strip at a substantial distance beyond said aperture, and means for preventing lateral movement of said conductor adjacent said aperture ineluding an end portion of said terminal stri extending in a reverse direction from said. aperture and overlying said conductor, the

edge portions of said reversely extending portion being pressed downwardly alongside a portion of said conductor having a normal configuration, said pressed down portion being intermediate the aperture and point of electrical union, thereby'relieving the'electriv cal union of lateral stresses.

. cLiFroRD A. ROBEQR'ISQ; 

